Label:
Polydor
Release Date:
05/12/2005

With the chart plagued by endless, sickening ‘r & b’ sung by anonymous women who enjoy showing off their bums in boring videos made by men in over sized t-shirts who act like they're constantly trying avoid a barrage of face-bound frisbees, Girls Aloud are collectively one of Britain’s mainstream pop saviours. Unsurprisingly ’Chemistry’ - their third album in as many years – sees the famous five serving up the sort of snappy pop grooves they’ve been perfecting since ‘Sounds Of The Underground’ slapped their Popstars cohorts One True Voice across their annoyingly small faces.

So, alongside the excellent, pouting sassiness of ‘Biology’ comes the equally rollicking ‘Models’ and the breezy guitar-stomp of ‘Waiting’ – all fine cuts of crystalline good-time pop. Inevitably we have a few slices of big-ballad blandness – their upcoming Christmas number one challenger ‘See The Day’ is particularly non-eventful. However, during their more subtle moments - such as the rather pleasant ‘No Regrets’ - Nadine Coyle’s big, brassy voice drops to a gentle, aching lilt that is, of course, so necessary when delivering a line as perceptive as – “Rainy Sundays, kids TV / Fish and chips and NYC”. Hmmm.

The bonus finale of ‘Racy Lacey’ on the other hand, is a full on, jazzed-up, tirade against a girl who apparently gained her “PhD with her legs apart”. It’s Girls Aloud being a bit naughty – outrage Madonna-style it is not. Nevertheless, this is a fine pop album that should be chewed up and spat out all over the inane, half-step, one-hit wankers who don’t seem to realise when to stop grinding their ‘hump’ and bugger off back to blingville.